2013 Induction Event: Recalling their glory days

Many of the greatest athletes in the history of Lowell High School’s storied  athletic program gathered at Lenzi’s on Thursday evening to celebrate the  individual talents and accomplishments of their newest class of peers.

This year’s Fab Five of inductees into the Lowell High School Athletic Hall  of Fame extended their legacy leaving from the fields of play to the classroom,  representing the Red Raiders as student-athletes in the truest sense.

Frank Trull (Class of 1960, Providence College), Paul Dowling (Class of 1970,  Harvard University), Jonathan Dolan (Class of 2002, Williams College), Ashley  Nolet (Class of 2003, Yale University) and Ethan Brown (Class of 2003,  University of Michigan) now find their names listed alongside Lowell High’s  greatest athletes in large part because their will to succeed extended beyond  sports to academics.
“All the inductees here tonight have pretty special resumes,” said Dolan, 30,  who works as a project manager at Suffolk Construction. “The one common factor  between all of us is we worked hard for our success, athletically, academically  and whatever it is we’re doing now in life.

“We’re proof that if you are willing to work and put in the time, energy and  effort, you can play sports at a high level and get a great education at Lowell  High. Everyone being honored tonight did that in high school and that mentality  carries over into the rest of your life. If you are willing to make the  sacrifices it takes to be a good athlete, you can do anything.”

Trull was a hard-throwing left-hander on Lowell High’s baseball team who as a  15-year-old sophomore in the spring of 1958 turned in one of the greatest single  season performances by any Red Raider athlete, striking out 23 batters, a total  that remains a single-game record, in a nine-inning win over Chelsea. He  finished his varsity career with a 14-8 record, five shutouts and 244  strikeouts.

“Chelsea was behind 6-2 in the last inning, and the last two batters yelled  out to me, ‘You are not going to strike us out,’ ” said Trull, who spent 22  years in the Air Force after graduating from Providence. “And they turned around  and bunted. They didn’t even try to get on base. They just didn’t want to strike  out. That was the best game I pitched in Lowell.

“I got a lot of attraction from that game and I went to a Kansas City  (Athletics) tryout game. I faced 10 batters during the tryout and struck them  all out. A scout came up to me with a contract and said, ‘We’d like you to sign  a contract,’ and I told him my age. And after that mother said, ‘You’re going to  college.’ That was a godsend going to college because it worked out so well for  me.”

Dowling was an incredible three-sport standout at Lowell while playing for  legendary Red Raider head coaches Ray Riddick (football), George Bossi  (wrestling) and John Lang (track). As a senior in 1969, Dowling made 15 tackles  and recovered a fumble in a 43-8 Thanksgiving Day win over rival Lawrence. He  compiled an overall dual meet wrestling record of 24-0 during his junior and  senior seasons.

“This night brings back a lot of great memories,” said Dowling, who has had a  successful coaching career at Cushing Academy. “I see a lot of faces of people I  haven’t seen in years and it’s great reminiscing about old times and the hijinks  we used to do. Like anyone, there are times when I think about the what ifs in  my career, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

“It’s such an honor to be here with all these great athletes. It reminds me  of the old days and all the great athletes I played with, and the great coaches  I played for.”

For Dolan, it was a night to savor the memories of an outstanding football  career during which he was a two-way standout, and wresting career, where he was  a Division 1 North Sectional, Division 1 State and All-State champion and  finished second at New Englands as a senior.

“For me there was no one moment or game that stands out athletically more  than the others,” said Dolan. “What I remember most after winning a big game or  match is running off the field and celebrating with my family. It’s those little  moments I enjoyed with my mom or dad or family that resonate loudest with me.”

Nolet had many noteworthy performances as a diver in swimming, and a  hurdler/pole vaulter in track. But perhaps her most spectacular performance came  the day after attending a prom, when she finished first in the 100-meter hurdles  and the pole vault (at a record height of 11-7) at the Eastern Mass. Class A  Championships.

“I brought my sneakers with me to prom,” said Nolet, 28, now a Iawyer. “I  wore shoes for the (prom) picture, but I had my sneakers on after that. I had a  good time at the prom, but I was ready to go the next day. I was probably the  only competitor at the track meet with bobby pins in their hair.”Brown, 28, was an All-Scholastic in cross-country and swimming. His senior  year, Brown turned in one of the finest runs of his career in the rain and mud,  finishing third at the MIAA All-State race. After attending Michigan, Brown was  a tri-athlete who narrowly missed earning a berth on the U.S. Olympic team in  2012.

“Being included with the best of the best athletes at Lowell High is a great  honor,” said Brown, 28, who getting his MBA at UMass Lowell. “I’m really humbled  to be included in such an amazing class.

“It’s great to see the number of athletes the city of Lowell has produced  over the years. It’s great that we have an organization that represents the  accomplishments of athletes. It just goes to show the numer of great athletes  Lowell High produces and how the school system harnesses and helps the talent  grow.”

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